


a little something new

by bettyandrews (cherryliqueur)



Series: riverdale bingo: summer 2020 [1]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Cunnilingus, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Making Out, Riverdale - Season 1
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:00:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26142979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherryliqueur/pseuds/bettyandrews
Summary: “Trust me, Betts, this will work,” Reggie insists, picking a fry off of his plate and pointing it at her. “Andrews just needs a nudge in the right direction.”“I asked him point blank if he loved me and he said I wastoo perfectfor him,” Betty counters, her stomach flipping in embarrassment of the memory. “I think I know a rejection when I hear it. Besides, he’s interested in Veronica now.”But Reggie’s grin only seems to widen. “That doesn’t mean anything,” he declares. “He won’t know what he really wants until someone else has their hands on his girl for a change.”
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Reggie Mantle
Series: riverdale bingo: summer 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1898416
Comments: 26
Kudos: 133
Collections: Riverdale Bingo Summer 2020





	a little something new

**Author's Note:**

> Let me start with a disclaimer that, if you're familiar with my fanfics, this is FAR from the usual kink and taboo I love to write, and it actually only has _a little_ smut in it! Shocker, I know. But for Riverdale Bingo, I wanted to challenge myself by making some of the fills less smut-focused and more relationship-focused, so that's why I decided to start off with this prompt. (But don't worry, my kink lovers: I still have a lot of kinky smut planned!)
> 
> Also, this did have somewhat of a plot, but I ended up ditching it in favor of just exploring Betty and Reggie's dynamic. So if you enjoy meaningless fluff with a little bit of smut, I hope this is a fun little read ;)
> 
> -  
> [Riverdale Bingo: Summer 2020](https://cherryliqueurkinks.tumblr.com/post/626854339352428544/%CB%8F%CB%8B-riverdale-bingo-%CB%8E%CB%8A-surprise-i-may-have-been)  
> square: fake dating

“Reggie,” Betty sighs, not quite sure if the flutter in her chest is from the embarrassment of his suggestion, or from the fact that he seems so convinced of his idea and it’s actually a little sweet in a ridiculous sort of way.

Then again, it wouldn’t be a Reggie Mantle scheme if it wasn’t at least a little ridiculous, though Betty tries to ignore the humiliating implication that she’d be more than happy to pretend to date him because she’s just _that desperate_ for Archie’s attention. Because she knows that’s not what Reggie meant. Sure, he can come off insensitive and he may not be entirely unselfish whenever he offers his help, but at least he’s upfront about his motives. She much prefers his blunt honesty to her classmates who praise her for being perfect to her face and then whisper how boring she is behind her back.

But after ending a particularly grueling Vixens practice with Cheryl belittling her _yet again_ , Betty doesn’t have any energy left to keep up with Reggie’s plotting. The only reason she’s even at Pop’s with him in the first place is because he burst into their practice to call Cheryl out for being a bitch, then tucked Betty under his arm and whisked her away before her mind had caught up with what was going on. She knows the whole scene had been less about defending _her,_ specifically, and more about Reggie just wanting to piss Cheryl, but Betty was still grateful for someone other than Veronica going up to bat for her.

And she wasn’t above accepting a little pity treat when Reggie insisted on buying her a strawberry milkshake. Of course, had she known it was also a bribe to get her to agree to his fake dating ploy, she might’ve passed.

“Trust me, Betts, this will work,” Reggie insists, picking a fry off of his plate and pointing it at her. With him sitting on the same side of the booth, this is likely the closest they’ve been, _ever,_ and Betty is all too aware of the fact that she’s still flushed and sweaty from practice. This hardly deters Reggie from leaning into her space, though. “Andrews just needs a nudge in the right direction.”

“I asked him point blank if he loved me and he said I was _too perfect_ for him,” Betty counters, her stomach flipping in embarrassment of the memory. “I think I know a rejection when I hear it. Besides, he’s interested in Veronica now.”

But Reggie’s grin only seems to widen. “That doesn’t mean anything,” he declares. “This is a small town and Veronica is new. _Everyone_ is interested in her, but the novelty will wear off. And you may have had Andrews up on a pedestal all these years, but he’s still a _guy,_ ” Reggie adds as he throws an arm around Betty. “He won’t know what he really wants until someone else has their hands on his girl for a change.”

Betty feels herself flush at his words, especially as she tries not to focus on the fact that _his_ hand is now dangerously close to touching her breast.

But before she can shrug him off, the doors to Pop’s chime open and then Archie is walking in as if on cue, laughing at something with Moose and Midge. His gaze swings around the diner to look for an empty booth, but once he catches sight of Betty and Reggie huddled close together, he visibly stiffens. Betty isn’t sure if she’s thrilled or disappointed by Reggie having predicted this so easily, but then Moose and Midge notice them, too, and Midge’s smile of surprised delight sends an odd flutter of warmth through Betty’s chest.

“Sup,” Reggie greets, and if his dismissive tone isn’t obvious enough, he doesn’t even wait for them to say anything in return before his gaze is on Betty once more, his eyes glinting as he tugs playfully on the end of her ponytail.

Archie’s jaw ticks at the gesture, something flickering in his expression that nearly makes Betty grin in triumph.

Then Reggie leans in, his mouth right against her ear and his hot breath making her tingle as he whispers, “I told you so.” She wants to roll her eyes at his words - because one of Reggie Mantle’s _favorite_ things in the world is when he’s right - but she just giggles softly instead. Because, well, he _was_ right, she’ll give him that. She can practically feel Archie’s gaze on the side of her face, urging her to look back at him, but before she can, Reggie’s teeth nip at her earlobe, drawing a soft gasp as her eyes dart back to their audience. Moose still looks amused and Midge still looks delighted, but Archie?

He looks pissed.

Reggie reaches down, hooking his arm under her knees and swinging her legs up so that they’re draped over his lap, angling her body so she has nowhere to look but him. She hears Midge giggle, then whisper something to Moose and Archie that Betty can’t quite catch, but it’s clear that she’s ushering them away to give Betty and Reggie some privacy. Betty doesn’t dare look anywhere else other than into Reggie’s smirking face, but she knows she’s not imagining the way Archie lingers reluctantly until Midge practically drags him away from their table.

Reggie winks, and this time, Betty _does_ roll her eyes. “Okay, you do have a point,” she concedes. “What’s in it for you, exactly?”

“It’ll get my folks off my back,” he replies easily, his smirk turning a little crooked and boyish. “Which is _always_ a plus with my parents. They’ll think you’re setting me straight while Andrews will think I’m corrupting his perfect little girl-next-door. Two birds, one stone. You’re not the only genius at Riverdale High, Betts.”

“ _Fine_ ,” she relents with a giggle. “If this doesn’t work, at least I’ll get a good laugh out of it, right?”

“Oh, you’ll get much more than _that_ ,” Reggie promises, and Betty feels her cheeks flush as he squeezes the top of her knee.

* * *

Betty shouldn’t be surprised, but she hadn’t expected Reggie Mantle to be quite so _handsy_.

He always seems to be tugging on her ponytail and playing with the hem of her skirts, and she’s lost count of how many times he’s pulled her onto his lap to try to slip his hand up her sweaters in the middle of the student lounge, or how many times he’s snuck his hand under her skirt when they’re sitting together in class. It’s hard not to get a shiver of delight at his near-constant teasing, though Betty has to remind herself that he’s only doing it to make them as a couple more believable, not because he genuinely can’t keep his hands off of her.

“Your room is exactly as I pictured it, Betts,” Reggie muses, interrupting his curious perusal to aim a boyish smirk at her. “And I’ve pictured your room _a lot_.” 

Betty giggles as she rolls her eyes, which seems to be the only thing she ever does around Reggie nowadays. This may be his first time walking her home, but they’ve hung out around town all week, pushing it as close to her mother’s ridiculous curfew as possible, because Reggie insisted it would drive Archie crazy to look at her dark window and wonder what she was doing. Betty isn’t sure if that’s actually happened, though she supposes she might find out the answer today. It’s Friday, and though Archie probably has a dozen different things he could be doing other than coming straight home, Reggie is counting on exactly that so Archie can catch them making out.

She thinks it’s a shaky plan at best, but then again, Reggie has predicted Archie to a tee so far, so what does Betty really know about any of this?

Glancing out at Archie’s window, she starts to walk toward her own to see if he might be coming up the street, but then Reggie is grasping her wrist and twirling her back around and into his chest, arching an eyebrow down at her. “I know you’re a better student than that, Cooper. What’s our rule?”

“No looking at his window,” she replies automatically. She knows she should be annoyed that he’s speaking to her like he’s some disappointed teacher, but she can feel the hard bulge of him just under his jeans pressing against her and it’s _distracting_.

“Atta girl. Now come here,” he says, dropping onto the seat of her vanity, and then she’s squealing as he draws her onto his lap to straddle him. Her skirt is a fitted one that rides up her thighs with them spread out in this position, bunching up to barely cover the curve of her ass. She knows Archie has a perfect view of her vanity from his room, which means that, with her back to the window like this, he’ll also have a perfect view of her _ass -_ but when she starts to tug it back down, Reggie lets out a _tsk_. “It’ll give Andrews a little more to look at,” he tells her with a wink, sliding his hands higher up the backs of her thighs until he’s practically groping her.

Betty blushes, about to protest... but then Reggie gives her a squeeze, making her lips part in a gasp, and then he’s tipping his head up to kiss her. 

She expects it to be hard and maybe a little frantic simply because Reggie seems almost restless with energy sometimes, but he takes his time, teases her with the pressure of his lips and the firm grip of his hands on her legs, nearly touching her ass. He doesn’t even really _kiss_ her at first; just grazes his lips over hers, taunting her by leaning as if to draw away so that Betty is pressing herself closer, kissing him back a little harder.

She doesn’t know how long they kiss like this, but it seems as if it takes _hours_ before he finally sucks on her bottom lip, drawing another gasp from her. He slips his hands up higher, his fingers grazing her underwear as he cups her ass, and he groans under her lips when he feels what she has on underneath.

Yes, she’s wearing lingerie, and she has been ever since they started “dating” because it made her feel more like the girls that Reggie dated (well, _slept with_ ) before. Even if she couldn’t ditch her skirts and sweaters and blouses, she _could_ dip into the lingerie Polly had bought for her without their parents knowing to cheer Betty up whenever she’d felt particularly plain. The one Betty is wearing now is little more than a scrap of lace held together with ribbons, exposing her ass almost entirely under her skirt, and Reggie nearly growls into their kiss when his fingers slip under the material.

A warmth unfurls in Betty’s chest, making her nipples and her clit throb. She’s never, _ever_ felt this this sexy before, and she’s never once felt like someone else found her sexy, too. Not because she thinks lowly of herself, but because she knows she’s the kind of girl that people find simply _cute_ or _pretty,_ sometimes even _beautiful._

 _Sexy_ is different, especially when she can feel just how much Reggie appreciates her little surprise as he grows harder and harder against his jeans. Her hips start to rock his as if on their own, and she hadn’t even realized that she’d become damp. She thinks maybe she should feel embarrassed, but all she can focus on is the pressure tightening at the base of her spine and the delicious friction of Reggie’s jeans as they rub against her through the lace. It isn’t until one of his hands slips around to graze his thumb against the now-soaked front of her panties that she realizes that she’d been grinding against Reggie like some amateur lap dancer.

She pulls away abruptly, her cheeks flooding with heat and the edges of her vision a little hazy, but Reggie hardly seems disappointed or annoyed by the sudden halt to their kiss.

“ _Relax_ , Betts,” he drawls, eyes glinting, that boyish smirk still perfectly in place - and, funnily enough, she _does_ relax, even though his thumb still pressing firmly against her should only make her feel more embarrassed. It’s obvious he can feel how wet she’s become just from _making out_ , and even though she can tell by the gleam in his eyes that he wants to say something about it, he doesn’t. “I like your little surprise, by the way,” he adds, tugging gently on the ribbon at one of her hips. “Any chance I could appreciate it in all of its glory?”

“I think you’ll have more fun imagining it instead,” she retorts, then, completely on an impulse, she leans in to press her lips against his ear as she adds, “But if you want a little hint, it’s not black. It’s _white_.”

He groans out a laugh, giving her ass another squeeze. “Should’ve known you were really a tease, Betts. It’s always the quiet ones.” Betty giggles. “Now I’m jealous that Andrews probably caught a glimpse of it when he was peeking over here,” Reggie pouts, and it takes Betty a second to realize what he’s talking about.

She’d forgotten all about the window.

* * *

When she hadn’t been upset with her mother for getting involved with Fred Andrews, or pissed off at her father for keeping so many shady secrets, Veronica had spent last week pouting about not being the first person Betty told when started dating Reggie. In Betty’s defense, though, she hadn’t told _anyone_ before showing up to school on Monday, tucked under Reggie’s and letting him kiss her against her locker for the whole hallway to witness. Nor had she planned on telling anyone, either. Partly because Reggie insisted it would be more fun that way, and also because Betty didn’t think anyone would really believe her. And they _hadn’t_. Not at first, at least.

Now it seems that Veronica - and almost everyone else at Riverdale High who cares for the social scene - has gone from highly skeptical to completely supportive. They think it’s cute that Reggie swept her off of her feet after defending her from Cheryl, and they think it’s even cuter that Reggie, who had no qualms with flirting with just about everyone, barely even looks at another girl anymore.

Betty isn’t sure if that’s the truth, but she appreciates that Reggie isn’t humiliating her by blatantly checking out other girls when she isn’t around.

“So, what hot date do you have planned for our girl tonight, Reggie? She deserves only the best, you know.”

Veronica is squinting playfully as she spears a peach slice with her fork, waving it at where Betty is perched on Reggie’s lap, trying in vain not to squirm as he inches the hem of her skirt higher up her thighs. Thankfully, Betty doesn’t think anyone has noticed with the cafeteria table blocking his hand from view.

“Oh, I know. But we can’t do anything tonight,” he admits, and though Betty already knows this, she still feels a little squeeze of disappointment. It’s odd that two weeks ago, she could count on one hand how many times she’d been alone with Reggie, and now she’s bummed about not getting to spend the evening with him. “My folks are dragging me to Greendale to have dinner with the owners of the dealership over there. I’d take Betty with us if I didn’t think Mrs. Cooper’s head would explode,” he adds, winking up at Betty. “She already doesn’t like that I keep her daughter out until the very last second of her curfew.”

Archie frowns at Betty. “Wait, since when did you have a curfew?”

“Probably when her mother found out she was no longer single,” Kevin chimes in cheekily.

Betty rolls her eyes. “She flipped out when I missed dinner and showed up with Reggie instead. After what happened with Polly, I think my mother assumed my lack of interest in dating was because I wanted to keep her happy,” she mutters. Across the table, Archie flinches, and Betty knows the two of them - and probably everyone at the table - are thinking the same thing. That Betty hadn’t shown interest in anyone before because she only ever liked Archie. Now, not even a month after he’d turned her down, she’s dating Reggie as if she hadn’t spent the last decade half in love with Archie.

Betty starts to feel guilty about how quickly it seems she moved on, but then she remembers how it felt to watch Archie’s gaze shift behind her in the middle of her sentence when he saw Veronica for the first time. Sure, Betty might get a little thrill of satisfaction whenever Archie seems jealous of her and Reggie, but she also doesn’t think he really has a right to act distant with her and then stare her down as if _she_ wasthe one that said they couldn’t be together.

“At least she wasn’t waiting on the front step like usual when I walked Betts to the door last night,” Reggie points out. “I’ll take what I can get.”

“Alice Cooper waits outside her door for you two after you’ve spent all afternoon canoodling with her daughter and you _still_ get out of the car?” Jughead asks, sounding as though he finds this both ridiculous and vaguely impressive.

Reggie shrugs, giving Betty’s hip a squeeze. “Hey, if standing my ground against that storm of crazy each night is what it takes to date Betty, I’m all in.”

“A true jock in shining armor,” Veronica coos, pressing a hand over her heart as she beams at Betty.

And though Betty knows she should focus on the way Archie presses his lips together tightly, she finds herself blushing as Reggie drops a kiss onto her neck and then offers her the strawberry from his fruit cup.

* * *

“Andrews still giving you the cold shoulder?” Reggie asks, and Betty looks up from her laptop to find Reggie half-inside her closet as he flips through her hangers. A smile pulls at her lips, and she shakes her head in amusement even though he can’t see it. Part of her thinks she should be annoyed that he’s been snooping ever since they got to her house, but it’s actually kind of cute how curious he is about everything.

“Pretty much,” Betty sighs. “He’s barely talked to me.”

“That’s because he spends all his energy cornering _me_ in the locker room,” Reggie snickers.

“He does?”

“Oh, definitely,” he says, glancing over his shoulder to smirk at her. “He may have rejected you, Betts, but he _does not_ like me as your boyfriend, and he makes sure I know it. And I have to say, I’m finally glad Andrews is stooping down to my level, trying to be all alpha and territorial. He thinks it makes me look like an ass, but girls eat that shit up. They like it when guys know what they want.”

Betty rubs her lips together, stifling a giggle. Before, she would’ve been offended by his declaration and dismissed it as Reggie just being Reggie, but as she considers his words... she finds that maybe he _is_ right, at least partly. Riddling Archie out all these years, especially these last few weeks, is a lot more frustrating than she remembers it being. Sure, she’d had her fun sitting on her bed with Kevin and talking about something cute Archie did or something sweet he’d said to her, and it had been exciting. But even if she denied it to Kevin every time, she _did_ think Archie had liked her back. She didn’t really question that he hadn’t made a move because she felt like he was just being careful of their friendship.

That’s the hardest part to accept. She _hates_ that she was wrong, and that she didn’t really know Archie’s thoughts and feelings as much as she believed.

With Reggie, she never has to guess what he wants from her or what he thinks of her because he seems to blurt it out as soon as the thought crosses his mind. She doesn’t worry about being too forward or too timid or saying the wrong thing because Reggie doesn’t worry about it himself, and it’s...

It’s _nice_.

“I hope he’s not giving you trouble,” Betty tells him. She knows Archie is hardly the kind of person to start fights or harass anyone, but still.

“Nah, it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

Reggie leans down, almost entirely in her closet now as he continues rifling through her shoe boxes stacked on the floor, and Betty doesn’t try suppressing her giggle this time. “You’re not going to find my lingerie, Reggie.” He pauses to glance over his shoulder at her, and she’s not surprised to find a wide grin on his face, not an ounce of shame at being caught. “My mom doesn’t believe in privacy, especially under her own roof. I would’ve been caught if I tried hiding anything in my _closet_.”

He smirks, straightening back up. “So I’m guessing under your bed is also a bad place to look?” he asks, crossing the small distance between them, and Betty lets out another giggle as she nods. “And what about on top of it? Is there anything naughty up there?” he teases, moving her laptop aside and nudging her back against her bed as he climbs over her.

“You are _ridiculous_ , Reggie Mantle.”

He dips his head down, chuckling against her neck. “You know you love it, Betty Cooper,” he murmurs, kissing her pulse, and, in the back of her mind, Betty wonders how she’d gotten so comfortable so quickly with _this_. With Reggie and his ridiculous jokes and his dirty words and his teasing lips. She’s so used to his wandering hands and his unashamed affection that she doesn’t even flinch in surprise anymore when his hand slides up from her knee, pushing her skirt higher up her thighs until it’s practically bunched around her waist.

He slides down her body, pushing her legs further apart as he presses his lips against her through the thin fabric of her blouse, kissing the dip of her cleavage and the underside of one of her ribs, then lower, above her stomach - and she sucks in a breath as she realizes what he wants to do. He pauses, glancing up at her with his head nearly in between her thighs, inches away from where she’s growing warmer and wetter. She expects the nerves to hit her harder now as she stares down at Reggie, waiting for her to tell him yes or no. She _should_ tell him no. Making out with her at Pop’s and slipping his hand under her skirt in the student lounge is one thing, especially when it’d been in the name of making Archie more jealous.

But this is different, and, other than the glimpse of her and Reggie obviously being on her bed together, this wouldn’t be something for Archie.

It would be entirely for her, and a little thrill shoots down her spine as she realizes that she _does_ want it.

“I’ve never...” She licks her lips as feels her cheeks warm, though she doesn’t feel entirely embarrassed, oddly enough. “No one’s ever...”

“Made you come like this?” He arches an eyebrow. “Or made you come, period?”

Her eyelashes flutter, and though she doesn’t actually say anything him, she knows he can see her answer in her eyes. He winks, that boyish smirk pulling at his lips, and it should be ridiculous that this actually helps to ease what little nerves are still swirling inside of her. She breathes out a laugh, easing back on her elbows as she peers down at him, and, with those glinting eyes still holding her gaze, she sees the exact moment he realizes she wants this. Her own lips hitch into a small smile. “Do you mind if I watch?”

He groans out a laugh of his own. “Not one bit, Betts,” he says, flipping her skirt up. “In fact, I think it’s _very_ important that you watch every second.”

She only has a fleeting moment to feel embarrassed about her plain and simple cotton underwear, especially when he knows she owns lingerie, but he barely pays it any attention before he’s yanking it down her legs and off. She _does_ feel embarrassed, though, when he slips them straight into his back pocket, her cheeks flushing hotly in an instant - but then his head is between her legs, his breath ghosting across where she’s wet and tingling, and despite the fact that she’s staring right at him, it still surprises her when his tongue flicks against her sex.

It’s so light that she almost thinks she imagined it at first, but then it’s back, a little harder and a little firmer, _licking_ at her in slow, languid strokes, and Betty’s eyelashes flutter as she nearly tips her head back. But she wants to watch, and she finds herself reaching down to hitch her skirt up a little higher. At this angle she can see the way Reggie’s tongue flicks out and up with each stroke, tasting her, _teasing_ her, the tip of his nose brushing against her aching little bundle of nerves. She can feel herself growing wetter and wetter on his tongue, and those slow strokes start to grow faster and firmer, his lips sucking on her little bud every so often, making her legs shake.

He hooks one of them over his shoulder and gives her thigh a squeeze as if to soothe her as he slides his mouth lower, tongue sweeping inside of her entrance. He works his tongue inside of her the way he kisses her, hard and deep and groaning lowly, savoring her taste. She doesn’t know how long it takes for her to start squirming, for her hips to start rolling on their own, urging him closer and deeper, but suddenly it feels like too much. She feels herself aching under his tongue, throbbing and twitching, and she fights to keep herself up on her elbows to catch every second until the pleasure suddenly bursts through her.

“ _Ah!_ ”

She gasps as she comes, white-hot heat flooding through her, crashing over her. It’s so much harder than any orgasm she’s ever given herself, her body writhing atop her bed under the force of the pleasure rushing through her, and Reggie stays firmly between her legs, her sex throbbing under his tongue as he rides out her high with her. He lingers on her clit until her elbows give out from under her and she nearly sobs, but slowly, his licks turn gentler, almost soothing, not so much wringing out the pleasure anymore as he eases her back down.

Betty feels him brush a kiss to the inside of her thigh before he finally lifts himself up, propping himself up on one elbow as he shifts back up her body to hover over her. His lips are glistening when he peers down at her and Betty lets out a shaky, almost manic sort of laugh as the last tremors of her orgasm ripple through her. It’s ridiculous that she still feels the urge to blush after what just happened, but that’s exactly what she does as her gaze fixes on his mouth, his tongue darting out to lick some of her wetness off of his lips.

“I always knew you’d taste as sweet as you look,” he muses as his hand finds her hip to give her a squeeze, and there’s something immensely tender about that one little gesture that has her tugging him close until his lips are slanting over hers.

It’s odd for Betty to taste herself on his tongue, but, just like everything about being with Reggie, she’s surprised to find that she kind of really likes it.

* * *

Betty thought she’d feel ridiculous in Reggie’s varsity jacket, but there’s something about being blanketed in its warmth with his distinctly male scent that’s a little bit thrilling. It’s the kind of thing she’s seen in movies countless times, and even though their relationship may not be real, she appreciates the sentiment all the same.

Today’s a home game for the football team, which means Cheryl has the vixens wearing their uniforms to school, and though the long-sleeved thermal that Betty is wearing under her cheer vest helps, she must’ve still looked cold enough for Reggie to drape his varsity jacket over her as they’re sitting outside in the quad before the first bell. She’d started to protest - she knows it’s tradition for the players to wear it on a game day - but Reggie dropped a kiss on her lips before she could get a word out. “Can’t have my girl shivering her cute little butt off,” he’d said, winking down at her as he tucked her into his jacket, and the simultaneous squeals that Veronica and Kevin let out had Betty biting down on her lower lip to stifle a grin.

Now, as she’s standing at her locker, she hears a chorus of laughs coming from down the hallway, and Betty glances over to see Reggie and a few other players rounding the corner. They’re shoving each other in that way that most boys tend to do when they’re being particularly restless, and Betty feels another wide grin pulling at her lips at the sight of Reggie being the only one not in his varsity jacket. He’s still in Bulldog blue and gold, of course, wearing the track jacket for their warmup gear, but it still makes her stomach flutter to know why he stands out.

And, as Reggie’s eyes swing over to hers, his lips hitching in that infamous smirk she’s come to love, she knows her thoughts must be written on her face.

“Here comes your man,” Veronica practically sings, nudging Betty’s hip with hers, and Betty just barely sets the last of her books inside of her locker to swap them out when Reggie bounds over to her, grasping her by her hips and lifting her in the air in a spin. Betty lets out a squeal, earning another round of laughs and a few whistles from the other players, but she can tell that the warm flush that floods her cheeks isn’t out of embarrassment at all.

It isn’t until she’s back on her feet and Veronica flits by her that she realizes Archie is one of the players in the small crowd. He gives Veronica a smile as she grasps his arm with both of her hands, but if she notices that the expression is a little tight, she pretends not to as she chatters on about how cute Reggie and Betty are.

And Betty is a little surprised when the usual thrill of satisfaction at Archie’s apparent jealousy... never comes.

“Didn’t believe you actually gave your jacket away, Mantle, but now I see why,” one of the seniors comments, elbowing the guy beside him as their eyes flick over Betty. She doesn’t feel nervous, exactly, but she still appreciates the way Reggie draws her even closer as his teammates openly stare at her. “If anyone could get our boy wrapped around her finger, it’d be Betty Cooper.”

Betty starts to blush again, but then Reggie ducks his head and whispers, “I’m wrapped around your finger and you _come_ around mine, so if they’re trying to insult me for being whipped, they’re failing epically,” and Betty feels her entire face heat up as she hisses his name. She’s not upset, though. Far from it. She gets a little bit of a thrill, having him whisper dirty things in her ear with a dozen people watching, and she’s oddly touched that he doesn’t seem the least bit bothered by his teammates ribbing him. If anything, he seems _pleased_.

Betty hears someone scoff softly, and she glances over in time to see Archie start to walk off, a few of the players already starting to follow. She catches Veronica’s gaze, the girl arching an eyebrow at their friend, but then she shakes her head and bounces over to Betty, practically tugging her out from under Reggie’s arm as she holds Betty’s hand in both of hers.

“You already steal her from me every day after school _and_ during lunch, Mantle, so stop trying to cut into my class time with Betty,” Veronica warns, glaring playfully at Reggie as she leans her head on Betty’s shoulder, and Betty laughs as Reggie holds his hands up as if in surrender.

“I’m going, I’m going,” Reggie promises, backing away, and he winks at Betty before whirling around and jogging down the hallway to catch up with the others.

Veronica lets out a delighted squeak, squeezing Betty’s arm in a hug as they watch Reggie disappear around the corner. “You two seem to be getting serious,” Veronica notes, raising her eyebrows, and Betty shrugs her shoulders as she feels her cheeks flush again. “Be honest, girl - and I mean this in the least judging way possible, I swear on my grandmother’s pearls - but this isn’t just some rebound because of Archie, is it? Because _I_ happen to think you and Reggie Mantle are quite perfect together, but I know you’d never forgive yourself if you figure out you’re just trying to move on from Archie Andrews as fast as possible, so I have to ask.”

Betty feels herself chuckle. “This sounds like a Kevin question,” she notes, and Veronica holds a finger up to her lips in a shushing gesture as she winks. Betty giggles. “Honestly, it felt like it started that way, but it’s not, I promise,” Betty tells her, and she’s not really surprised at how true her answer is. There’s no way she would’ve let Reggie get that far with her on her bed that very first time if she didn’t already know, even in the back of her mind, that things between them were starting to change.

* * *

A loud roar erupts from the home crowd when the scoreboard buzzes at the end of the game, and Betty is nearly being knocked over as Veronica throws herself at her in a hug, jumping up and down along with the rest of the Vixens as they cheer at the Bulldogs’ win. Betty laughs, squeezing Veronica back, but then her best friend is letting go and spinning Betty around, and Betty only has a second to catch her footing again before she realizes Reggie is heading right for her. She jumps into his arms the second he has them open, her legs locking around him as she tugs his helmet off, and a chunk of his sweat-slicked hair falls over his eyes as she tips her head down to kiss him.

The Vixens cheer even louder around them, the noise almost deafening, but all Betty can focus on is Reggie’s arms tight around her, his tongue sweeping into her mouth in a hard, deep kiss, and she cups his face with both of her hands as he sucks on her lower lip. And if she didn’t already know without a doubt that this is more than Reggie just acting, or being the playful flirt she’s always known him to be, she gets her answer when she pulls back a moment later to see those wide, bright eyes sparkling up at her.

“Want to skip the after party with me, Betts?” he asks over the noise, and what else can Betty do but squeeze her legs tighter around him as she kisses him again?


End file.
